What is now referred to as the ‘Sandringham Summit’ took place on January 13, 2020, when the Royal Family gathered to discuss Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to step back as senior members of The Firm. Queen Elizabeth II also expressed that she would have wished they had remained members of the working Royal Family, but respected their decision to move to North America.
On the actual day of the Sandringham Summit, news reporters and photographers were lined up outside the gates to the late Queen’s 20,000-acre Norfolk estate, where family members were meeting. Staff had reportedly been told to prepare the Long Library for the meeting.
Prince Harry was the first member of the Royal Family to arrive, but the Duchess of Sussex was not present for the call and was in Canada with Prince Archie. Present at the meeting was Queen Elizabeth II, the then-Prince Charles, Prince William, and Prince Harry. Overall, the discussion lasted 90-minutes.
The meeting was called to discuss Harry and Meghan’s desire to step back as senior royals, become financially independent, and find a new, part-time role within the monarchy, leading to their eventual departure from full-time royal duties
On January 8, 2020, Harry and Meghan issued a statement explaining they were stepping back as working royals. They said: “We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen.”
They said they plan to balance their time between the UK and North America while “continuing to honour our duty to the Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages”.
“This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity.”
In a statement released immediately after the ‘crisis’ meeting at Sandringham, the Queen issued the following announcement in a rare personal statement: “Today my family had very constructive discussions on the future of my grandson and his family.
“My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family. Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family. Harry and Meghan have made clear that they do not want to be reliant on public funds in their new lives.
“It has therefore been agreed that there will be a period of transition in which the Sussexes will spend time in Canada and the UK. These are complex matters for my family to resolve, and there is some more work to be done, but I have asked for final decisions to be reached in the coming days.”
It was announced after that, that March 31, 2020, officially marked Meghan and Prince Harry’s exit from royal life and the beginning of their one-year transitional period.
On March 5, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped out for the annual Endeavour Fund Awards in London, followed by an outing at the Mountbatten Festival of Music at the Royal Albert Hall on March 7.
Harry and Meghan then joined Queen Elizabeth, Prince William, Princess Catherine, Prince Charles and other royals at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey on March 8.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.express.co.uk ’
